Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This fragmentary text is a praise dedicated to the root mantra of Wrathful Tārā. Based on the provided opening, the work functions as a liturgical invocation, beginning with formal titles in both Sanskrit and Tibetan and a traditional homage to the deity. The text aims to establish a connection with the wrathful manifestation of Tārā by describing her specific iconographic attributes, such as her single lock of hair and her seated posture. By focusing on the root mantra, the work commits the practitioner to a specific sonic and meditative technology intended to harness the deity's power. The structure follows the standard format of a stotra, moving from formal identification and veneration toward a detailed description of the goddess's form to facilitate visualization and ritual efficacy.
Provenance
About this text
A eulogy dedicated to the root mantra of Wrathful Tārā, the Ugratārāmūlamantrastotranāma belongs to the tradition of the Other Wisdom Tantras. Preserved in the classical Tibetan period, the text appears in the Tengyur, volume ཤ, under the Tibetan title sgrol ma khro mo la rtsa ba'i sngags kyis bstod pa. The record does not name the translators responsible for its passage into Tibetan. This work enacts a liturgical invocation, beginning with formal homages and a detailed description of the deity's iconography—specifically her single lock of hair and her posture upon a red human corpse—to facilitate visualization and ritual efficacy. A scholar or serious reader consults this single-page text today to examine the specific sonic and meditative technologies associated with the root mantra of the wrathful goddess, as well as the formal structure of the stotra genre within the Tibetan Buddhist canon.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Praise of the Root Mantra of Wrathful Tārā” (Toh 1725), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1725
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant as it illustrates the integration of Sanskrit liturgical forms into the Tibetan tradition, specifically regarding the wrathful aspects of Tārā. It provides insight into the specific iconographic markers used to distinguish different manifestations of the deity within the tantric corpus.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction and Homage
Contains the Sanskrit and Tibetan titles and the initial homage to the wrathful goddess, including early iconographic descriptions.
Themes
Iconography of Wrathful Tārā (1)
Liturgical Veneration (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaA Praise of the Root Mantra of Wrathful Tārā·
In the language of India: Udretārāmūlatantrastotra-nāma. In the language of Tibet: Sgrol ma khro mo la rtsa ba’i sngags kyis bstod pa (Praise to the Wrathful Tārā by Means of the Root Mantra). Homage to the blessed Lady!
Homage to the wrathful goddess who wears a single lock of hair, who sits with one leg extended and one drawn in upon a red human corpse. The goddess of expansion is adorned with tigers and snakes; in her extreme wrath, she lets out a great roar of laughter. In her right hand, she holds a sword with a blue and golden tip from which fire blazes; the lower [right hand] brandishes a severed, cutting flaying-knife. In her first left hand, she holds a fully blossomed utpala flower; the lower [left hand] holds a skull-cup filled with blood and hair. A topknot of matted hair is exquisitely beautiful upon her head. With three eyes, she gazes upon the three worlds in a stainless manner. She is beautified by a garland of dry and fresh human heads alternating. Such a form is none other than my own self.
This concludes the twelve-line verse praise, translated into the meaning of the root mantra of the glorious Ekajaṭī.
Translation status: Not among 84000's published translations, and not in progress there. Translations published elsewhere have not been searched for, so one may exist. (source: 84000 catalogue + registry; checked 2026-11-10).
Set in Newsreader and EB Garamond; Tibetan in Noto Serif Tibetan; Chinese in Noto Serif SC.